Investigations

South Carolina Fireworks Company Pleads Guilty To Smuggling Unapproved Fireworks into the United States

On February 28, 2017, Atlas Importers, Inc., pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court, Florence, South Carolina, to one count of smuggling hazardous materials into the United States.

Between November 2013 and late 2016, Atlas importers repeatedly imported unapproved fireworks for sale into the United States through the Port of Savannah, Garden City, Georgia. Upon inspection by U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), many of the shipments were found to contain illegal fireworks that were not manifested on the required shipping documentation. Additionally, the materials were not approved for shipment by the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

DOT-OIG conducted this investigation with assistance from CBP and PHMSA.